Listening to Indigenous communities reveals a vital lesson about fire management. For decades, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia have demonstrated that the most effective way to manage rampant wildfires is through the use of low-intensity, controlled burns. These practices not only help control fire hazards but also prepare land for the bushfire season.

This ancient and effective technique has only recently gained acceptance in non-Indigenous Australia, albeit perhaps too late. The tangible benefits of these practices are evident.

Conversely, the Amazon rainforest is not naturally prone to wildfires. In this lush environment, spontaneous fires are rare and typically stem from human activities, particularly illegal deforestation. Listening to the methods of Indigenous peoples is crucial for the climate's well-being.

The Amazon on Fire

Human Rights Watch reports that since 1985, over half a million square kilometers of rainforest have been destroyed for agriculture, logging, and mining. In areas recently cleared of trees, dry vegetation becomes highly flammable, increasing the risk of wildfires spreading to nearby forested regions.

Regions like Pará, Rondônia, Mato Grosso, and Amazonas have experienced the highest deforestation rates and are also the most susceptible to destructive fires.

Brazil has monitored deforestation in the Amazon since 1985, achieving an 83 percent reduction from 2004 to 2012. However, in 2019, under President Jair Bolsonaro, deforestation rates surged by at least 85 percent. That August, nearly three million people in the Amazon were exposed to harmful levels of particulate matter, a number that rose to 4.5 million in September.

Indigenous communities bear the brunt of illegal deforestation and its associated wildfires, threatening their food security and contaminating vital water sources with ash. They are at a higher risk of respiratory issues, particularly children, due to the smoke from uncontrolled fires.

Indigenous Initiatives: Prevfogo & Sisfogo

Across Brazil, Indigenous communities are both the most impacted by fires and the most proactive in protecting their lands. Today, over 700 Indigenous firefighters collaborate with Prevfogo, Brazil’s National Center for Wildfire Prevention and Suppression. Inspired by Aboriginal practices, these brigades include at least one entirely female team.

Prevfogo utilizes Sisfogo, a National Wildfire Information System app that leverages GIS technology to locate wildfires and assess vulnerable areas. This system relies heavily on Indigenous knowledge, especially in the diverse ecosystems of the Amazon.

The Suruí people from Rondônia are actively voicing their concerns through the Movement of Indigenous Youth. Living in the Sete de Setembro Indigenous Land, they are involved in fire prevention and reforestation.

Txai Suruí, a law graduate and founder of the Movement of Indigenous Youth, has faced multiple death threats for her advocacy work, as has her mother, Ivaneide Suruí, a renowned activist and co-founder of the Kanindé Ethno-Environmental Defense Association.

Chief Almir Narayamoga Suruí, Txai's father, has embraced modern technology to combat deforestation, using Android devices for monitoring illegal logging and GPS for mapping significant areas of their ancestral lands.

Through combining Traditional Knowledge with contemporary technology, Indigenous peoples of Brazil are leading efforts to control wildfires and contribute to global climate action.

Opposition to Bolsonaro's Regime

Under the Paris Agreement, Brazil committed to halting illegal deforestation by 2030. However, President Jair Bolsonaro's first actions upon taking office in 2019 included defunding FUNAI, the Indigenous protection agency.

His appointment of Marcelo Xavier in July 2019 has since been criticized, especially following Xavier's indictment for his indirect role in the deaths of Brazilian indigenist Bruno Pereira and journalist Dom Phillips.

Xavier's tenure aligned with Bolsonaro's intimidating climate, where he initiated criminal investigations against those defending Indigenous rights and facilitated encroachment on Indigenous territories.

Bolsonaro's actions have severely undermined Indigenous sovereignty, promoting legislation that complicates land claims for Indigenous groups while easing claims by outsiders.

According to FUNAI employees, the agency's leadership effectively ceased all efforts to demarcate Indigenous territories during Bolsonaro's presidency, enabling a rise in illegal activities such as logging and mining on Indigenous lands.

The deforestation rate in Indigenous territories during Bolsonaro's first three years in office was 138 percent higher than in the preceding three years.

With Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in power, Brazil's Indigenous peoples are beginning to regain hope. As Txai Suruí states, "We are going through a very difficult time, but we can’t give up hope. Because talking about a standing forest is talking about a living planet. It’s talking about life."

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